At seventy‑nine years of age, Tom Rauscher follows a disciplined morning ritual that would test the endurance and dedication of individuals decades younger. Long before he even sets foot outside his home, this lifelong, award‑winning athlete moves methodically through a structured circuit of exercises that demand both physical precision and mental focus. His carefully sequenced routine begins with fifty V‑ups—an advanced abdominal movement requiring both flexibility and control—followed by thirty push‑ups to engage the upper body. From there, he transitions into thirty deep squats to strengthen his legs and glutes before returning to another set of fifty V‑ups. The sequence continues with a two‑minute plank, an exercise essential for cultivating core stability and balance, and culminates in a final round of fifty more V‑ups. When performed consecutively without distraction, the entire workout demands between twelve and fifteen minutes of steady effort, though the duration can extend to nearly twenty‑five minutes whenever Rauscher takes short pauses to glance at the morning news between sets.
Despite its brevity, this compact session propels him nearly halfway toward his ambitious daily fitness targets: three hundred total V‑ups, one hundred push‑ups, seventy‑five squats, and three full minutes in plank position. These numbers reflect not just consistency but a philosophy of incremental progress, one that Rauscher has refined through decades of competition and instruction. Holding multiple certifications in fitness and nutrition, he also dedicates several days each week to teaching group exercise and Pilates classes. Although his regimen engages the body as a whole, Rauscher places special emphasis on the importance of strengthening the core—the interconnected group of muscles surrounding the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. As he frequently reminds his Pilates students, the core functions as the essential foundation for nearly every movement a person makes. It’s the center from which balance, stability, and posture originate, supporting the body both in motion and in stillness.
By adhering to this daily discipline, Rauscher not only maintains impressive fitness and vitality well into his later years but has also been able to expand his athletic pursuits. Remarkably, he took up powerlifting in his seventies, an age at which many retire from strenuous activity, and within just a few years rose to compete on the national stage. During the summer season, he achieved a personal best at the 2025 National Senior Games in Iowa, executing a deadlift of 275 pounds—more than twice his own body weight. That extraordinary lift earned him a third‑place finish overall, surpassing competitors more than a decade younger and proving that disciplined training can powerfully counter the limitations commonly associated with age.
Earlier this year, Business Insider journalists Sarah Andersen and Mark Adam Miller accompanied Rauscher as he prepared for those national games, observing firsthand the consistency and enthusiasm that define his workouts. Among all the movements in his repertoire, his favorite remains the V‑up, an exercise he estimates he has performed well over a million times. The V‑up, which demands coordination between the abdominals and hip flexors as both legs and torso rise together to form a “V” shape, offers an intense challenge for the core. Rauscher’s affinity for the exercise traces back to his earlier sporting life. Before developing an interest in powerlifting, he enjoyed a distinguished career as a national champion pole vaulter, capturing multiple gold medals in the event. In pole vaulting, athletes must generate explosive upward momentum by powerfully lifting their legs toward the chest—an action strikingly similar to the V‑up motion. This parallel, he explains, is what initially led him to integrate the exercise so extensively into his training.
About fifteen years ago, when Rauscher joined a CrossFit gym, he rediscovered his proficiency in V‑ups among younger athletes performing an array of demanding lifts and movements. Although he occasionally found it difficult to match their weights or speed in certain routines, the V‑up remained his specialty—a movement where his technique and endurance allowed him to excel. Recognizing this advantage, he began practicing them in greater volume, eventually setting himself an audacious long‑term goal: to complete one million V‑ups over approximately a decade. Through unwavering commitment, he achieved that milestone last year—a symbolic culmination of countless mornings dedicated to the same movement repeated with precision and purpose.
Rauscher’s philosophy on strength development centers on one principle: persistence built from small, consistent goals. Each year, he sets measurable fitness benchmarks, tracks his progress daily, and adjusts as needed to ensure momentum never falters. In his view, the most effective way to grow stronger isn’t through sporadic bursts of extreme effort but through steady accumulation—through manageable, incremental objectives that build both physical and psychological resilience. To anyone beginning their own fitness journey, his guidance is straightforward yet profound: choose a handful of exercises that you genuinely enjoy, establish modest goals, and increase difficulty gradually. The activities should be stimulating enough to challenge you yet enjoyable enough to sustain your motivation over the long term. Over the span of months, years, and ultimately decades, these consistent, seemingly small actions compound into extraordinary results. For Rauscher, this philosophy is not only the secret to athletic longevity but also a testament to the enduring power of daily discipline, proving that strength, balance, and vitality belong not to youth alone but to anyone willing to work for them, one morning at a time.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/79-year-old-powerlifter-shares-15-minute-morning-core-workout-2025-11
